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Saturday, July 30, 2011

More Pirates Completed --- Finally...

As I was lamenting in another post, my painting style lends itself to protracted periods of seemingly endless inactivity. My own style of batch painting slows down production to almost a standstill, especially when beginning a new batch. While it's more about the journey than the destination for me, seeing completed miniatures leave the painting queue provides both satisfaction and a bit of personal pride. Those feelings tend to occur few and far between for me lately however.

While my own peculiar take on batch painting has many downfalls, occasionally the benefits start rolling in. "Batches" of minis all started at the same time also near completion near simultaneously. Such is the case this week. I have several pirates and other miniatures all nearing completion together. I want to share the first two with you.

Captain Hook and Melisande Wavecutter

Both of these piratical miniatures have been in the queue for quite some time. I have an excuse for one and well, nothing for the other. I am extremely glad they are both completed and ready for a bit of action in my Legend of the High Seas campaign.

Melisande Wavecutter from Reaper

Ladies first: Melisande Wavecutter is a miniature from the Reaper "pirates" line. I emphasize the word "pirate" because Reaper has put a decidedly fantasy twist to their swashbucklers. Historical accuracy is obviously not their focus. On some models the fantasy slant is very apparent but it's not so noticeable on Melisande. Beyond the fact that she is a female and dressed as a captain, only the skulls on her boots belie the trend.

Miss Wavecutter has been in my collection for a very long time and in the painting queue since the first of the year. I am terrible with female skin tones (especially facial features) and the fear of completely mucking her up has kept her from completion for months. Sheer desperation finally allowed me to finish her but I'm still not happy with her face. I simply cannot seem to get the subtle female shading correct no matter how hard I try. Maybe the purchase of the OptiVisor I ordered will help me achieve better results.

More detail of the hat and coat

Though my meager painting skills did not do her justice, the miniature itself is a beautiful sculpt. The hat, greatcoat, and the face make the mini stand out for me so I chose colors that would emphasize some of those features. If I had more time I think I would have removed the skulls from the boots and possibly added a bit of trim around the coat though. I'm fairly pleased with her overall however and look forward to using her in the next game. As far as her backstory goes, I'll have to think on that a bit.

Captain Hook from Reaper

Next up is Captain Hook, also from Reaper Miniatures. He too suffers from the fantasy element that Reaper has imposed upon their pirate line...mainly in the size of his sabercutlass meatcleaver. Just as Melisande has lingered in limbo for months, the captain has seen more than his share of time in the painting queue. So what's his excuse? I'm not really sure. Though I'm not at all opposed to the miniature itself (after all, I did purchase it for a reason), I think over time he became one of those rare minis that I simply could not get into. Perhaps it's the huge weapon or maybe it's the terrible color scheme I chose for him, but whenever I sat down to paint, my eyes would pass over him almost every time in favor of another model to work on. I finally forced myself to wrestle with the inertia surrounding the good captain and he is now complete. I wonder how he will fare in the next game of Legends of the High Seas.

I need to work on a good background for this miniature as well. I really have not thought too much about it but I can assure you that his name will not be Captain Hook. Arrrr....!!!

I have two other rogues to share as soon as the varnish is finished drying then it's time for the ladies. Yep, the wenches I've been ignoring forever are nearing completion as well. My pirates are thirsty and ready to spend some of their ill gotten gains. Their arrival could not be more appropriate nor appreciated but pirates beware! These ladies will have a few tricks up their...hmmm....bodices.

Thanks for the compliment. The Port Antigua project is coming along slowly. I really need to do an update. The spackle I'm using to simulate stucco walls is taking way too much time though. I may need to find another solution.

I visited your site as well and was very pleased to see the pirate content there. Would you mind if I link to your site?

I think you have done a good job on both figures. I know what you mean about female skin tones. I have generally tried to be a subtle as possible and favour the Foundry range of skin tone paints.I think her face is actually fine in terms of tone, but I do think the eyes are a tiny bit too large, which makes her look a little too 'baby faced'? If you can reduce the size of the eyes by adding a slightly darker flesh tone line along top and bottom of eye, then blend back in with the normal flesh tone, it will be improved. Otherwise, very nice.

@Scott: Yep. I see your point now that you mention it. Sometimes the obvious isn't so easy to see. I'll try to reduce the size of the eyes by taking a bit off the bottom. I somehow managed to place a bit of reddish eyeshadow above her eyes and I certainly do not want to mess that up. It took forever to do and I doubt I could do it again hehe.

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What is Blackwarden anyhow?

Blackwarden is the fictional name, or family of names rather, that inhabit my imagination in all its various forms. From computer games and RPGs to my pirate personae and creative writing, this line of fictional heroes populate my strange and unusual pastimes. Since this blog is the sum of their story, it's only proper that the name serves as the title.

Come share their adventures with me.

A Bit About Me

Normal life. Normal job. Not so normal hobbies. This is a blog that allows me to showcase some of my unusual pastimes.